euesa1-3, Exercise 3: ESA and the European Union

Model answer (any three differences):

1. Type: ESA is an intergovernmental space organisation; the EU is a political and economic union.
2. Members: ESA has about two dozen members, including non-EU countries; the EU has only EU countries.
3. Founded: ESA dates from the mid-1970s; the EU took much of its present form from the 1990s, with earlier roots.
4. Space role: ESA builds and operates space missions; the EU owns and funds some programmes (navigation, Earth observation) and sets space policy.

ESA members outside the EU: the United Kingdom, Norway or Switzerland.

Check the current member list in ESA's own pages.